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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation favor range expansion of a Neotropical palm

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Author(s):
Brancalion, Pedro H. S. [1] ; Oliveira, Giancarlo C. X. [2] ; Zucchi, Maria I. [3] ; Novello, Mariana [4, 3] ; van Melis, Juliano [1] ; Zocchi, Silvio S. [5] ; Chazdon, Robin L. [6, 7] ; Rodrigues, Ricardo R. [8]
Total Authors: 8
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Dept Forest Sci, Av Padua Dias 11, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Dept Genet, Piracicaba, SP - Brazil
[3] Agribusiness Technol Dev Sao Paulo APTA, Piracicaba, SP - Brazil
[4] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Genet & Mol Biol, Campinas, SP - Brazil
[5] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Dept Math Chem & Stat, Piracicaba, SP - Brazil
[6] Univ Connecticut, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Storrs, CT - USA
[7] Int Inst Sustainabil, Rio De Janeiro, RJ - Brazil
[8] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Dept Biol, Piracicaba, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 8
Document type: Journal article
Source: ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION; v. 8, n. 15, p. 7462-7475, AUG 2018.
Web of Science Citations: 1
Abstract

One of the most intriguing questions in plant ecology is which evolutionary strategy allows widely distributed species to increase their ecological range and grow in changing environmental conditions. Phenotypic plasticity and local adaptations are major processes governing species range margins, but little is known about their relative contribution for tree species distribution in tropical forest regions. We investigated the relative role of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation in the ecological distribution of the widespread palm Euterpe edulis in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Genetic sampling and experiments were performed in old-growth remnants of two forest types with higher (Seasonal Semideciduous Forests vs. Submontane Rainforest) and lower biogeographic association and environmental similarities (Submontane Rainforest vs. Restinga Forest). We first assessed the molecular genetic differentiation among populations, focusing on the group of loci potentially under selection in each forest, using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) outliers. Further, we looked for potential adaptive divergence among populations in a common garden experiment and in reciprocal transplants for two plant development phases: seedling establishment and sapling growth. Analysis with outlier loci indicated that all individuals from the Semideciduous Forest formed a single group, while another group was formed by overlapping individuals from Submontane Rainforest and Restinga Forest. Molecular differentiation was corroborated by reciprocal transplants, which yielded strong evidence of local adaptations for seedling establishment in the biogeographically divergent Rainforest and Semideciduous Forest, but not for Restinga Forest and Submontane Rainforest. Phenotypic plasticity for palm seedling establishment favors range expansion to biogeographically related or recently colonized forest types, while persistence in the newly colonized ecosystem may be favored by local adaptations if climatic conditions diverge over time, reducing gene flow between populations. SNPs obtained by next-generation sequencing can help exploring adaptive genetic variation in tropical trees, which impose several challenges to the use of reciprocal transplants. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 13/50718-5 - Ecological restoration of riparian forests, native forest of economic production and of degraded forest fragments (in APP and RL) based on restoration ecology of reference ecosystems in order to scientifically test the precepts of the New Brazilian Forest Code
Grantee:Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues
Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 99/09635-0 - Diversity, dynamics and conservation in São Paulo State Forests: 40ha of permanent parcels
Grantee:Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues
Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 13/17354-0 - Genomics and conservation genetics of populations of juçara (Euterpe edulis Martius)aiming management
Grantee:Mariana Novello
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate